William T. Coleman

[wanswheel]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/william-t-coleman-jr-transportation-secretary-and-civil-rights-lawyer-dies-at-96/2017/03/31/94c21ce6-1624-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.6325d77bfa4f

[Miningman]

What a great and fascinating story and bio on this remarkable man. Important and influential figure that I'm sure few actually knew about.

That is a life well lead. 

Nice tribute Wanswheel. 

 

[wanswheel]

Thanks Miningman.

The NY Times also gave him a pretty good obit.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/politics/william-coleman-jr-dies.html?_r=0

Aug. 28, 1958. “Attorneys for the NAACP…Left to right: William T. Coleman Jr., New York; Wiley A. Branton, Pine Bluffs, Arkansas; and Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel. They are due to present arguments before a special session of the Supreme Court in the Little Rock school integration case.”

Nov. 17, 1965. “Veteran Negro leader A. Philip Randolph launched the White House Conference on Civil Rights with a call for $100 billion 'Freedom Budget' to wipe out black ghettos in U.S. Cities. Randolph and other Civil Rights leaders are taking part in the conference. Here at the start of the conference are (left to right): Morris B. Abram, Co-Chairman of the conference; the Rev. Martin Luther King; Randolph; John Lewis, Head of the Students for Non-violent Action; and William T. Coleman, another Co-Chairman.”

March 7, 1975. “Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall talks with William T. Coleman prior to Coleman's swearing in as Secretary of Transportation... Coleman was the second African American ever to hold a cabinet position; Marshall was the first African American on the Supreme Court.”

 

President Ford says at swearing-in ceremony:

 

MR. SECRETARY, YOU HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUR FOR YOU.THE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS OF YOUR DEPARTMENT WILL PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE AS THIS NATION PROCEEDS TOWARD ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. TRANSPORTATION ACCOUNTS FOR OVER FIFTY PERCENT OF OUR TOTAL PETROLEUM USE. TO ATTAIN THE GOAL OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE WE NEED STRONG ASSISTANCE FROM THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR.

 

IN JANUARY, I SIGNED A BILL MAKING THE FIFTY-FIVE MlLES-PER-HOUR SPEED LIMIT MANDATORY. IT CONTAINS TOUGH PROVISIONS SO THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION CAN ENSURE STRICT ENFORCEMENT BY THE STATES. THE STATE GOVERNMENTS WILL SOON BE CERTIFYING TO YOU THAT THEY ARE ENFORCING THE SPEED LIMIT PRIOR TO FUTURE RELEASE OF FEDERAL HIGHWAY FUNDS. STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF THE FIFTY-FIVE MILES-PER-HOUR LIMIT IS ESSENTIAL. IT WILL SAVE LIVES AS WELL AS ENERGY. I WILL LOOK TO YOU FOR STERN BUT EQUITABLE ENFORCEMENT.

 

YOU WILL ALSO BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH MY ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORS TO IMPROVE THE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF AUTOMOBILES PRODUCED IN THIS COUNTRY. I AM DETERMINED TO REACH THE GOAL OF A FORTY PERCENT IMPROVEMENT BY 1979 IN THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF NEW CARS SOLD IN THIS COUNTRY.

 

ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART OF OUR TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM AFFECTS ENERGY. IT IS THE NATIONAL MASS TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1974 I SIGNED IN NOVEMBER. I WORKED FOR PASSAGE OF THIS BILL IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS AND I AM LOOKING TO YOU FOR VIGOROUS IMPLEMENTATION. IT PROVIDES ELEVEN POINT EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS FOR MASS TRANSIT. THIS MEANS THAT WE WILL BE SPENDING IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR ALMOST SEVENTY PERCENT MORE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR MASS TRANSIT THAN WE SPENT IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR.

 

WE MUST TAKE STEPS TO SAVE THE NATION’S RAILROADS. THE UNITED STATES DESPERATELY NEEDS ITS RAILROADS TO TRANSPORT THE VAST QUANTITY OF GOODS IN A FUEL-EFFICIENT MANNER NECESSARY FOR OUR ECONOMY TO SURVIVE AND PROSPER. RAILROADS ARE AN IMPORTANT MOVER OF ENERGY, ESPECIALLY COAL, AND WE WILL NEED TO DOUBLE OUR COAL OUTPUT BY 1985. RAILROADS WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING US TO OBTAIN OUR ENERGY OBJECTIVES.

 

WORKING WITH YOU, MR. SECRETARY, I PLAN TO SUBMIT TO THE CONGRESS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS VERY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION IN THE TRANSPORTATION AREA. I WILL PROPOSE A NEW HIGHWAY BILL WHICH WILL SET FORTH A REVISED HIGHWAY PROGRAM THROUGH THE YEAR 1980. ALSO, THE FEDERAL AIRPORT PROGRAM EXPIRES ON JUNE 30. I WILL PROPOSE MAJOR REVISIONS IN THE AIRPORT AND AVIATION PROGRAMS.

 

ANOTHER IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE WHICH THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL BE SUBMITTING TO THE CONGRESS CONCERNS REFORM OF THE ECONOMIC REGULATION OF TRANSPORTATION BY THE INDEPENDENT FEDERAL AGENCIES. REGULATORY REFORM IS CRITICAL IF WE ARE TO REDUCE THE RATE OF INFLATION WHICH INFLICTS THIS NATION. NOTHING IS WORSE THAN INFLATION CAUSED BY GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS.

 

MR. SECRETARY, I AM PLEASED TO WELCOME YOU INTO ONE OF THE TOUGHEST CABINET POSTS IN GOVERNMENT  AND TO WISH YOU SUCCESS AS WE WORK TOGETHER. NOW, IF YOU STILL WANT THE JOB, I WILL ASK MR. JUSTICE MARSHALL TO PLEASE ADMINISTER THE OATH.

 

 

Nov. 5, 1976. “President Ford gets a standing ovation from his Cabinet. He told them 'we lost a close one' to Jimmy Carter and praised the job they have done in the Administration. Left to right: Defense Secy. Donald Rumsfeld; Interior Secy. Thomas Kleppe; Richard Cheney, White House chief of staff; Jim Cavanaugh, deputy asst. to the President; Transportation Secy. William Coleman and President Ford.”

 

Biographical article in Journal of Supreme Court History

https://law2.wlu.edu/faculty/facultydocuments/pepperst/colemanarticle.pdf

[samfp1943]

Miningman

What a great and fascinating story and bio on this remarkable man. Important and influential figure that I'm sure few actually knew about.

That is a life well lead. 

Nice tribute Wanswheel. 

 

 

From The Post [above]:

"...YOU WILL ALSO BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH MY ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORS TO IMPROVE THE FUEL EFFICIENCY OF AUTOMOBILES PRODUCED IN THIS COUNTRY. I AM DETERMINED TO REACH THE GOAL OF A FORTY PERCENT IMPROVEMENT BY 1979 IN THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF NEW CARS SOLD IN THIS COUNTRY.

 

ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART OF OUR TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM AFFECTS ENERGY. IT IS THE NATIONAL MASS TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1974 I SIGNED IN NOVEMBER. I WORKED FOR PASSAGE OF THIS BILL IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS AND I AM LOOKING TO YOU FOR VIGOROUS IMPLEMENTATION. IT PROVIDES ELEVEN POINT EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS FOR MASS TRANSIT. THIS MEANS THAT WE WILL BE SPENDING IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR ALMOST SEVENTY PERCENT MORE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR MASS TRANSIT THAN WE SPENT IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR.

 

WE MUST TAKE STEPS TO SAVE THE NATION’S RAILROADS. THE UNITED STATES DESPERATELY NEEDS ITS RAILROADS TO TRANSPORT THE VAST QUANTITY OF GOODS IN A FUEL-EFFICIENT MANNER NECESSARY FOR OUR ECONOMY TO SURVIVE AND PROSPER. RAILROADS ARE AN IMPORTANT MOVER OF ENERGY, ESPECIALLY COAL, AND WE WILL NEED TO DOUBLE OUR COAL OUTPUT BY 1985. RAILROADS WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING US TO OBTAIN OUR ENERGY OBJECTIVES.

 

WORKING WITH YOU, MR. SECRETARY, I PLAN TO SUBMIT TO THE CONGRESS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS VERY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION IN THE TRANSPORTATION AREA. I WILL PROPOSE A NEW HIGHWAY BILL WHICH WILL SET FORTH A REVISED HIGHWAY PROGRAM THROUGH THE YEAR 1980. ALSO, THE FEDERAL AIRPORT PROGRAM EXPIRES ON JUNE 30. I WILL PROPOSE MAJOR REVISIONS IN THE AIRPORT AND AVIATION PROGRAMS.

 

ANOTHER IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE WHICH THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL BE SUBMITTING TO THE CONGRESS CONCERNS REFORM OF THE ECONOMIC REGULATION OF TRANSPORTATION BY THE INDEPENDENT FEDERAL AGENCIES. REGULATORY REFORM IS CRITICAL IF WE ARE TO REDUCE THE RATE OF INFLATION WHICH INFLICTS THIS NATION. NOTHING IS WORSE THAN INFLATION CAUSED BY GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS..."

 

From 1979 to current 2017.. An interesting perspectibe of how Time and Inventiveness, as well as Political Perspectives can effect National Goals. Iean to take nothing away from the comentary of those times. Just a note of how perspectives and goals are pertinent to those times.